The present invention relates to a mobile communication system that has a function to allow the user to browse text information, image information, and multimedia information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile communication system and a program transmission method that allow a program and data, which is not stored in a system-relevant mobile station, to be downloaded from a base-station server to the mobile station according to need, thereby providing the mobile station with a new processing function.
An example of a conventional mobile communication system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-75257. This system is provided with two means. One is means for, in response to a request issued from a mobile station (cellular phone), downloading a program and data from a server equipped in a base station to the mobile station. The other is means for making the program downloaded available in the mobile station. The conventional mobile communication system thus composed operates as follows. Namely, the user who is using the mobile station gives an operation to download the program and data according to need. According to this user""s operation, the program and data is downloaded from the base-station server to the mobile station. Thereby, an additional service becomes available in the mobile station.
The problem of the above-described conventional mobile communication system is that the user of the mobile station has to give the operation to download the program and data to the mobile station. One reason of the problem is that there is no notification means for notifying, mutually between the mobile station and the base-station server having the program and data, whether the mobile station has a processing function needed to perform the addition service or not. The other is that, in the mobile station or the base-station server, there is no determination means for determining whether the mobile station has the necessary processing function or not.
An object of the invention is to provide a mobile communication system and a program transmission method that allow a program and data needed to perform additional services in a mobile station to be downloaded automatically and surely to the mobile station without the user""s operation.
The invention will hereafter be explained using FIGS. 1 and 2. First, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in FIG. 1, there is provided a mobile communication system, including a mobile station 1 and a server 2 performing a communication with the mobile station 1 through a base station, wherein the mobile station 1 has provided therein notification means 11 that notifies mobile station""s processing ability to the server 2 beforehand; reception means 12 that receives a program and data from the server 2; program and data hold means 13 holds the program and data received from reception means 12: execution means 14 executes built-in program and program held in hold means 13, if needed execution means 14 accesses data held in hold means 13; and processing means 15 that processes service information the mobile station receives from the server 2 using the program and data the mobile station receives from the server 2, while the server 2 has provided therein storage means (mobile-station side processing ability hold means) 22 that stores therein the data processing ability that has been notified from the mobile station 1; determination means (mobile-station side processing ability confirmation means) 23 that receives a request for the service information made from the mobile station 1 and that, according to the information stored in the storage means 22, determines whether the mobile station 1 can process the service information; and transmission means 26 that, in the case the result of the determination made by the determination means 23 is NO (negative), transmits the service information to the mobile station 1; and transmission means (download means) 24 that transmits the program and data for processing the service information.
Also, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in FIG. 2, there is provided a mobile communication system, including a mobile station 3 and a server 4 performing a communication with the mobile station 3 through a base station, wherein the mobile station 3 has provided therein reception means (service information receive means) 37 that receives service information from the server 4, reception means 33 that receives the program and data for processing the service information from the server 4; processing ability confirmation means 32 that determines whether the mobile station 3 can process the service information received from the server 4 using the information held in processing ability information hold means 31 and that, in the case the result of the determination is NO (negative), requests the server 4 to transmit the program and data for processing the service information, and processing means 36 that processes the service information using the program and data the mobile station 3 has received from the server 4, while the server 4 has provided therein first transmission means 44 that, upon receipt of the request from the mobile station 3, transmits the service information; and second transmission means (download means) 42 that, upon receipt of the request from the mobile station 3, transmits the program and data.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in FIG. 1, there is provided a program transmission method performing a program transmission between a mobile station 1 and a server 2 performing communication with the mobile station 1 via a base station, comprising a step (executed by processing ability notification means 11) that the mobile station 1 notifies the data processing ability to the server 2 beforehand; a step (executed by service information receive means 16) that when in the mobile station 1 a request for service information has occurred therefrom, the mobile station 1 transmits a request for the server 2 to transmit the service information; a step (executed by mobile-station side processing ability confirmation means 23) that the server 2 receives this request and, according to the data processing ability of the mobile station 1 the server 2 is notified of beforehand, determines whether the mobile station 1 can process the service information; and a step (executed by download means 24) that, in the case the result of the determination is NO (negative), the server 2 transmits the program and data for processing the service information along with this service information.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in FIG. 1, there is provided a program transmission method performing a program transmission between a mobile station 1 and a server 2 performing communication with the mobile station 1 via a base station, comprising a step (executed by processing ability notification means 11) that the mobile station 1 notifies the data processing ability to the server 2 beforehand; a step (executed by service information receive means 16) that when in the mobile station 1 a request for service information has occurred therefrom, the mobile station transmits a request for the server 2 to transmit the service information; a step (executed by service information transmission means 26) that the server 2 receives this request; a step (executed by mobile-station side processing ability confirmation means 23) that, according to the data processing ability of the mobile station the server 2 is notified or beforehand, the server 2 determines whether the mobile station 1 can process the service information; a step (executed by download means 24) that, in the case the result of the determination is NO (negative), the server 2 transmits the program and data for processing the service information; a step program and data hold means 13) that the mobile station 1 stores into its internal storage means the program and data that have been transmitted thereto, a step (executed by service information transmission means 26) that the server 2 thereafter transmits the service information to the mobile station 1; a step (executed by service information receive means 16) that the mobile station 1 receives the service information; and a step (executed by service information processing means 15) that the mobile station 1 processes the service information using the program and data that have been already transmitted from the server 2.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in FIG. 2, there is provided a program transmission method performing a program transmission between a mobile station 3 and a server 4 performing communication with the mobile station 3 via a base station, comprising a step (executed by processing ability information hold means 31) that the mobile station 3 stores therein its own data processing ability beforehand; a step (executed by processing ability confirmation means 32) that when in the mobile station 3 a request for service information has occurred therefrom the mobile station 3, according to the data processing ability the mobile station 3 stores therein beforehand, determines whether the mobile station 3 can process the requested service information; a step (executed by processing ability confirmation means 32) that, in the case the result of the determination is NO (negative), the mobile station 3 requests the server 4 to transmit the program and data for processing the service information along with this service information; a step (executed by download request acceptance means 41) that the server 4 receives this request; and a step (executed by download means 12) that the server 4 transmits the program and data for processing the service information along with this requested service information to the mobile station 3.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program transmission method performing a program transmission between a mobile station 3 and a server 4 performing communication with the mobile station 3 via a base station, comprising a step (executed by processing ability information hold means 31) that the mobile station 3 stores therein its own data processing ability beforehand; a step (executed by service information receive means 37) that when in the mobile station 3 a request for service information has occurred therefrom, the mobile station 3 transmits to the server 4 a request for the server 4 to transmit the service information; a step (executed by service information transmission means 44) that the server 4 receives this request and transmits the requested service information to the mobile station 3; a step (executed by service information receive means 37) that the mobile station 3 receives the service information; a step (executed by processing ability confirmation means 32) that the mobile station 3, according to the data processing ability the mobile station 3 stores therein beforehand, determines whether the mobile station 3 can process the service information; a step (executed by processing ability confirmation means 32) that, in the case the result of the determination is NO (negative), the mobile station 3 requests the server 4 to transmit the program and data for processing the service information; a step (executed by download request acceptance means 41) that the server 4 receives this request from the mobile station 3; a step (executed by download means 42) that the server 4 transmits the program and data to the mobile station 3; and a step (executed by service information processing means 36) that the mobile station 3 processes the service information using the program and data that have been transmitted thereto.